Association of Chronic Periodontitis with Helicobacter pylori Infection in Stomach or Mouth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection and periodontitis are both inflammatory conditions associated with systemic diseases. Researchers have attempted to investigate the correlation between them. This systematic review and meta-analyses were conducted to investigate the association of H. pylori infection in the stomach and/or in subgingival plaque and gingival crevicular fluid with chronic periodontitis. The protocol was created according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) statement. The study was designed according to the Cochrane criteria. A comprehensive literature search was performed in MEDLINE, Scopus, and CENTRAL, combined with hand-searching and assessment of gray literature. The meta-analysis of the included studies was made by the Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4 software. The effect measure of the outcome was odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Heterogeneity was assessed by chi-square and I-2 . Four observational studies involving 818 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. The odds of oral H. pylori presence were higher in patients with chronic periodontitis, compared to healthy controls, with an odds ratio of 1.87 (95% confidence interval 0.85-4.10; p = 0.12). The odds of the presence of H. pylori in the stomach also were higher in patients with chronic periodontitis, with an odds ratio of 1.80 (95% confidence interval 0.82-3.95; p = 0.15). There is no evidence for an association between chronic periodontitis and the prevalence of H. pylori , detected either in subgingival plaque and gingival crevicular fluid or in the stomach.